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beyond all imagination fearfull and mean spirited, being frighted at the very
sight of a strange man, or ship; above all things dreading War: the reason
of all this being the cold to which they are condemn’d, and the meanness
of their diet, which cannot supply good blood and spirits; wherefore they
are useless in war, and the Swedes who raise men in all the other Provinces,
find none in this, as it appears from the ancient Records and Catalogues of
all the Souldiers that ever were lifted by former Kings. So that ’tis
fictitious, and rather an abuse than history, which some have reported, that Gust.
Adolphus had several Companies of Laplanders in his Armies; but they were
forc’t to find out some excuse for those many defeats, which to the wonder
of the World that most victorious Prince gave his powerfull and numerous
Enemies; and pretend that those Victories were obtained by the help of the
Laplanders and Magic. Wherefore I conclude as I said before, that this opinion
is absurd and contradictory, not only to the nature of the People, but to public
testimonies and writings. To which we may add that they cannot well live out
of their own Country, but fall into diseases and die, being no more able
to endure a milder air, or feed upon salt, bread, and boiled meats, than
we could upon their raw flesh and fish dried by the Sun: for it has bin often
found by experience that they are hardly temted by any reward to come
even into these parts, or if they do they die suddenly afterwards, much
less would they be induced to march into any more remote Countries. Olaus
Magnus gives us an instance of six Rain-deers sent to Frederick Duke of
Holsatia by Steno Sture junior Prince of Swedland, with two Laplanders, a man
and woman to be their keepers, and that both they and the beasts wanting
their accustom’d manner of living, died all together in a short time. Ziegler
indeed on the other side saies they are a valiant People, and that they were
a long time free, resisting the Arms both of Norway and Swedland, and
Scaliger after him saies that against their enemies they were couragious: and
Petr. Claud. reports they had a King of their own called Motle, and that
Haraldus Pulcricomus, tho he had conquered the Countries round about,
could not subdue them; but all this doth not evince their courage: for whatsoever
is said of this Prince Motle is nothing at all to the purpofe, being all
taken out of the history of Snorro, which speaking of Motle, and something
of his skill in Magick, has not a word of his or his Peoples courage. And
’tis manifest that Ziegler could have no ground for what he said, unless
from such histories as that of Snorro, which therefore only seem’d true
because there were none extant more likely; for in his time the Laplanders were
subject to the Swedes: unless we had rather believe that he took the Laplanders
and the Biarmians to be the same, ascribing to the one People, what was said
of the other. There is indeed mention in Saxo, of severall Wars of the
Biarmians, but those not managed by courage, but Magick and Enchantments: so
that it no way follows, that because they continued for many Ages a free
People, that therefore they were valiant. But whatever becomes of the
Biarmians, ’tis sure enough that the Laplanders are far from being stout or
warlike, who must first fight against their nature, before they can resist an enemy.
Besides their innate cowardise, they are strangely prone to Suspicion and
jealousy, being conscious of their own weakness, and so exposed to all
attemts upon them: a consequent whereof is that they are also revengefull;
endeavouring to prevent those mischeifs which upon the slightest occasions seem
to threaten them, by the death and ruine of the Persons that caused their
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